Whether crafting policies or engineering electoral victories, Amit Shah, for all his setbacks and controversies, continues to remain at the center of India’s political narrative with his reputation intact as the BJP’s master strategist and organizational alchemist.
By all accounts, 2024 has been a momentous year for India in terms of political, social and geopolitical shifts. As our country, which witnessed a crucial Parliamentary election and key State polls, grappled with these shifts, one man stood as the axis around which much of its narrative turned: Amit Shah. For the 60-year-old Union Home Minister, widely regarded as second only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in influence, 2024 has been a year of delicate equilibrium, marked by consolidation and confrontation, triumphs and trials. His deft handling of both achievements and crises showcased his strategic acumen and resilience, even as his leadership came under intense scrutiny.
Clarity of purpose has long defined Amit Shah’s approach to governance; whether it is combating insurgencies, orchestrating elections or drafting legislation, Shah has operated with the precision of a chess player who plans his moves several steps ahead.
But 2024 has also revealed the limits of this approach. For instance, the unrest in Manipur remains unresolved while his influence in Maharashtra has been questioned. Yet, Shah’s resilience has never been in doubt. If his political journey thus far is any indication, he will likely emerge from these challenges with renewed vigour.
Ever since he took over as Union Home Minister in 2019, Shah has carried out a vision of governance that is at once controversial and transformative. His achievements have drawn praise from supporters and sharp rebukes from critics, encapsulating the paradox of a man who thrives in the thick of complexity.
For Shah, the battle against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) has been a well-articulated cornerstone of his policy throughout this year – in fact, a personal pledge far transcending the definition of the problem as a mere ‘security challenge.’ With characteristic precision, he has announced an ambitious deadline to free the country of this scourge by March 31, 2026.
If Shah does manage to end the four-decade insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives and hindered development across India’s heartland, it would mark a seismic shift in the nation’s internal security landscape besides being a capstone to his legacy as India’s Home Minister.
While detractors may call it a boast, Shah has backed his optimism with hard data. In Chhattisgarh, a region once synonymous with the Maoist insurgency, Shah’s relentless pursuit of internal security has borne fruit. The year saw 287 Naxalites neutralized, 1,000 arrests and 837 surrenders - figures that reflect a momentum rarely seen in the decades-long battle against India’s homegrown insurgency. For the first time in decades, the annual death toll from Naxal-related violence - among both civilians and security personnel - has dropped below 100.
These figures underscore the efficacy of the Central government’s stringent anti-Naxal policies. However, Shah’s focus has extended beyond the combative: effective rehabilitation initiatives for surrendered militants has been a key plank in his counter-insurgency strategy. Both Chhattisgarh and Telangana are feeling the benefits.
Shah’s determined approach to eradicating Naxalism would serve as a powerful political statement in validating his leadership and cementing his reputation as a master strategist, capable of delivering results in even the most intractable conflicts.
Perhaps Shah’s most audacious political gambit has been his stewardship of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019, he spearheaded the abrogation of Article 370, stripping the region of its special constitutional status. This year saw another milestone: the peaceful conduct of the first Assembly elections in the Union Territory since its reorganization. A voter turnout of 60.21 percent in the first phase itself (the highest in seven electoral cycles) was not just a statistical victory but a symbolic one, signalling a return to normalcy in a region long defined by strife. While Jammu and Kashmir continues to be sporadically bedevilled by militant attacks, the lack of any violence during the electoral process marked a high water-mark in India’s journey to reintegrate the region.
Likewise, the peaceful conduct of a particularly high-stakes Lok Sabha election in May this year, and of the single-phase Assembly election in Maharashtra – a frontline state in the political battleground – were testament to Shah’s firm grip over his ministry.
Yet, if successes in Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir are highlights, Manipur continues to remain on the boil with no signs of abatement in the ethnic violence. The Northeastern state remained restive, with sporadic violence challenging Shah’s ability to deliver stability there.
Even as Shah’s influence continues to reshape Indian politics, his family has begun carving its own niche. His son, Jay Shah, made headlines as the youngest chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is a trajectory that mirrors his father’s early foray into leadership roles. Jay’s election was also a symbolic moment, showcasing the weight of the Shah family’s clout in fields other than politics.
That said, not all has been smooth sailing for the Union Home Minister: the absence of Shah’s allies in Maharashtra’s new Mahayuti cabinet, despite the BJP’s remarkable victory in the Assembly polls following a dismal Lok Sabha performance, has fuelled speculation about attempts to curtail his influence. Whether these developments signal a temporary setback or a recalibration of power dynamics within the BJP remains to be seen.
On the political front, Shah’s remarks in the Lok Sabha on Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were stridently decried as ‘derogatory’ by the Congress and other Opposition parties, triggering a needless and avoidable political firestorm.
But Amit Shah’s resilience has always been his defining trait. From his early days as the BJP’s Ahmedabad city secretary to his ascent as the BJP’s youngest national president at 49, to his current role as Home Minister, he has shown an uncanny ability to adapt, evolve and emerge stronger.
In a country where politics often resembles an endless chess game, Shah is the grandmaster who rarely loses focus. Over the course of 2024, the Union Home Minister, despite some setbacks, cemented his reputation as India’s most formidable political strategist, deftly balancing the demands of national security, electoral politics and governance. While his name rarely escapes controversy, Shah’s influence within the ruling BJP and his enduring proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi places him squarely in the spotlight as a potential successor to the top job in Indian politics.
His stature within the BJP has never been more apparent. His unrelenting focus on strengthening the party’s grassroots organization, delivering key legislative reforms and tackling the nation’s internal security challenges has made him indispensable to Modi’s vision of a ‘New India.’ To many within the BJP, he is the heir apparent, waiting for the right moment to step onto the global stage as India’s leader-in-chief.
For the BJP faithful, Shah represents continuity. His ascension would ensure the party retains its muscular brand of nationalism and its emphasis on discipline and order. In Shah’s political playbook, criticism of his detractors, who worry about the alleged loss of India’s civil liberties under his watch, is just background noise. Shah’s focus remains unflinching: consolidating the gains of 2024 while preparing the BJP for the battles ahead. For a man who has been likened to Chanakya, perhaps the most fitting epitaph would be one of reinvention - the strategist who continues to reshape the rules of the game.
Comments